Hospice Nursing - How much experience do I need

[RedhairedNurse, BSN, RN]

I'm a new nurse RN and currently working on a med-surg floor. I'd like to go into hospice but would like to know more about it. My dad was on hospice so I know about it a little.

1) How much med-surg experience should I have?

2) What are the major responsibilites when you go to the home?

3) Yearly pay?

4) Stress level?

5) Other pertinent info I've not asked?

Thank so much.:wink2:

[doodlemom]

It would be good to have about a year of experience in the hospital so that you will feel more confident with you nursing skills out in the field.

As a case manager, your major responsibilities are to make sure the patients symptoms are managed - pt is comfortable and they have all of the meds they need. You will be teaching pt and family on what to expect as time passes and pt declines. There is a lot of education involved. Many families need education on bedside care, safety precautions. You will use the rest of your team for psychosocial and spiritual support - your aides will be there for bathing, personal care.

You can look back at other posts on pay. Depending where you live, your salary could be less or more. More competition creates higher salaries.

Stress can be high in any job - depending on how you handle it. If you have good boundaries and get help from other team members, you should be OK. As in any job, you need to take care of yourself and really take your time off away from the work.

On call can be a draining part of hospice nursing. Some hospices are large enought ot have a dedicated on-call staff, but there are usually some requirements of most staff. That is always a good question to ask aboutwhen going for interviews.

[RedhairedNurse, BSN, RN]

thank you for the response